Hanging by the thread
by Zoe tabbycat
Summary: This is a story concerning the professional and personal life of our one and only Stella Bonasera. When Stella's daughter is critically injured in a shooting incident, how will Stella cope? Smacked from Ch.6 onwards.
1. Chapter 1

Hanging by the Thread

'Mac, there is a shooting rampage at Trafalgar Square. 2 dead and 1 critically injured.' Lindsay burst into Mac's office, informing him of the new case, and startling Mac so much that he almost upset his coffee.

'Lindsay, there is no need to startle me like that. Now I lost a perfectly good cup of coffee.' Mac grumbled, mourning the loss of his cup of coffee.

'There is. No ID was found on any of the two girls that were killed, but the girl who was critically injured is no Jane Doe.' Lindsay told him. 'And apparently, the victim's name is Hazel Bonasera.'

Mac stood up immediately and started shrugging on his jacket quickly. 'I'll go and process the crime scene. You will go and tell Stella.' Mac told her, already rushing off to grab presumably Danny or Flack to go with him. She sighed. Breaking this news to Stella is something that she could do without perfectly well.

She looked around the lab and finally located her at the sample library, looking through some brands of soil. She walked up behind her and lightly touched her on her shoulder.

Stella jumped a mile. 'Geez Linds, do you have to do that? I am still quite young, don't cause me an early death by scaring me like that will you?' Seeing Lindsay face, she became concern. 'What's wrong?'

'A new case just came in, shooting at Trafalgar Square. 2 dead and 1 critically injured.' Lindsay told her. 'So come on,' Stella told her, grabbing her arm. 'Why do you look like this is your first time?' Stella asked.

Lindsay pulled her to a stop. 'Stel, listen to me. We have identified the girl who was critically injured.' Lindsay took a deep breath and continued. 'The girl is Hazel, Stella.'

'Hazel?' Stella asked. Deep down, she knew which Hazel Lindsay was talking about. But somehow, she just cannot bring herself to believe it.

Lindsay gently steered her to the elevators, and brought her to New York Memorial hospital, where she knew Hazel Bonasera was undergoing surgery.

Stella had been pacing around the floor for at least an hour and the rest of the team, apart from Mac and Danny, who were still processing the crime scene, began to file in, showing their support to Stella. Of all of them, Lindsay probably understood her situation the best, since she could only imagine how she would react if it had been Lucy.

Soon, Danny and Mac came in. After both giving her a hug, they asked her if she still wanted to help with the case. Thinking it over for a while, her warm green eyes glowed with anger and hatred. 'I will help. No one gets away with hurting my baby.'

Mac took out 2 photos, photos of the two girls who were killed. 'Do you know them' he asked while carefully watching her face, making sure that she could take it.

'Yes. That's Jazmine Black and Bianca Thomas. Both of them are Hazel's best friend.' Stella answered.

'Hazel is really lucky to have them. Witnesses told us that Jazmine and Bianca used their own body to protect Hazel. Without them, she may already be gone.' Mac told her. 'Do you know how we can contact their parents?'

'You can't. Both of them were orphans and were like sisters.' Stella answered. 'They don't have anything, apart from each other.'

Mac patted her shoulder. We will get to the bottom of this, Stella. I promise.

'Ms Bonasera?' A doctor suddenly came into view.

'Hazel is…'

(TBC)

* * *

><p><em>Right, hope you like this. I thought of this story during school today and just can't resist posting it on here. Please review and tell me what you think about this. Constructive criticisms are very welcomed but no flamers please. This is my first CSI NY fanfiction, so hope you will all cut me some slack. By the way, do you want me to kill Hazel? Please answer this in your review. Many thanks in advance.<em>

_Zoe tabbycat_


	2. Chapter 2

Hanging by the thread Ch.2

'Hazel is now out of surgery. She is in a coma, but her condition is stable right now.' The doctor informed Stella.

Everyone heaved a sigh of relief. Stella felt her heartbeat gradually returned to normal. Her Hazel is still alive. As long as she is alive, there is still hope. 'Can I go and see her?' she asked. After she is told of Hazel's room number, she was off in a shot, anxious to see how Hazel was doing.

'She is going to stay like that till Hazel gets better.' Mac sighed. Stella was normally so upbeat about everything, with her like this, everything felt wrong. 'We should go back to the lab now. The sooner we found the murderer, the better.' The others all nodded. They wanted to catch this person as much as Stella wanted. If that person is cold-blooded enough to shoot three kids, who could tell what would be next.

'I'll stay here and wait for her.' Lindsay told Mac. Mac agreed. He knew Stella and Lindsay were extremely close friends and sooner or later, when Stella was made to leave, she would be in condition to drive.

Stella's POV

I walked into my daughter's room. She looked so… still, lying on the white hospital bed. The fact that she was hooked up to all sorts of machines pierced through my heart like a dagger. With great difficulty, I managed to sit down beside her and took her hand into mine. Somehow, the steady beeping of the heart monitor calmed me down slightly.

I stroke her long brown hair, combing it out with my fingers. Unlike my frizzy curls, hers were long and smooth. Here usually sparkling green eyes were covered by her eyelids. I couldn't help it. At this point, I broke down and started crying.

Lindsay's POV

The doctor, whom I remembered was Hazel's doctor, came over suddenly. 'Are you a friend of Ms Bonasera?' He asked. When I nodded, he glanced around and spoke to me quietly. 'I just passed by Hazel's room and found Ms Bonasera crying in there. We tried to help, but she does not respond to us. Can you come and help?' He asked.

I was up in a second and followed him to Hazel's room, where Stella is crying over Hazel. I went in quietly and put my hand on her shoulder. She did not respond at all.

'Stel, Hazel is going to be fine. She survived through the worst. She is your daughter. She must have inherited your stubborn streak. She is not going to give up; she will fight to come back. She won a battle already. Now she is resting. Soon, when she is well rested, she will fight to come back.' I told her gently. I pulled her up carefully and lead her to the door.

Stella never looked so pale in anyone's memory. Her green eyes usually sparkle with amusement and her presence could always cheer everyone up. However, Nowadays, she looked withdrawn and miserable and her green eyes are dull. Nobody blamed her and deep down, Stella could sense their support for her and was extremely grateful.

She spent every free minute she had with Hazel. Lindsay and Mac accompanied her most of the time, saying that they too wanted to see how Hazel was doing and joked that there may still be some clue on her. Although the reasons they gave were true, she knew that there was one unspoken one. They hope that this way, she would feel the support of the whole team behind her, and never will she be alone.

'Mac, we've got a clue. The bullet were extracted from the two victims in the morgue and they are a .45 bullet. We ran it through the gun records and the owner of the gun which shot is James Reynard.' Lindsay, for the second time, burst into Mac's office, and caused him to upset his coffee once more.

'What have we got on him?' Mac asked, trying to mop up the coffee while checking the panel.

'He was taken in twice for robbery and the most recent one was in 2006, with 5 years of jail time.' Lindsay answered.

'That means he could be out by now. Let's go and check on our lovely James Reynard, shall we? What address?'

'555 Breakwater Cove. Should we get Stella?' Lindsay asked.

Mac thought for a moment then nodded his head.

'Go and find her. Meet me in the garage in 15 minutes.'

* * *

><p><em>Well, another chapter is up. Thankfully, I had some unexpected extra time today and could upload it. Special thanks to mckenzie and tateandtivaforever for reviewing this story. Please review and constructive criticisms are much appreciated but no flamers please.<em>

_If you have any ideas you want me to add in, please put them in your review and I will do my best to use it. Special thanks in advance to anyone who will do it. Love ya._

_Zoe tabbycat_


	3. Chapter 3

Hanging by the thread Ch.3

* * *

><p><em>Right, here we are with another chapter. This chapter is dedicated to tateandtivaforever. Thanks for reviewing. You made me a very happy person.<br>_

* * *

><p>Stella did not want to get out of the car. She knew that if that bastard inside was the one who injured Hazel and killed Jazmine and Bianca, whom Stella cared for like her own daughter, she would totally lose control, but she knew she had to do this, for Hazel, Jazmine and Bianca.<p>

'James Reynard, NYPD.' Mac called through the heavy oak door. The door opened soon and James Reynard stood there, looking at them with traces of annoyance visible on his face.

'What do you want this time?' he asked. 'I didn't rob anyone in these two weeks I am out, Okay? Now will you please leave me alone?

'James Reynard, do you recognize these two girls?' Mac asked, handing him the photos of Jazmine and Bianca.

'Am I supposed to?' He asked, scratching his head. 'Nope, I have absolutely no idea who the hell are they. Were they murdered?'

'Yes and the bullet taken out of them matches to a gun on your registry, what explanation would you give for that?' Stella demanded.

'I had lost that gun years ago.' James Reynard said matter-of-factly. 'Made a report to the PD, but it was never found. Are you done interrogating me?'

'As soon as I got your palm print, we will leave you on piece.' Lindsay answered, taking out the device.

Lindsay got both palm print without trouble and soon they were getting out of there. Stella still could not stop shivering, despite the fact that it 'must be about a million degrees in the car' as Lindsay put it.

'What do you both think about this James Reynard?' Lindsay asked.

'I believe him when he said he didn't attempt murder, but I don't necessarily believe he truly lost his gun. And about this case, I believe that he knows more than what he is telling us now.' Stella answered, and Mac nodded, agreeing with her.

James watched the police vehicle leave through the window. After a couple of minutes, he went to the phone, got through to his friend, and announced his arrival in approximately 20 minutes.

When he arrived, his friend was already waiting for him. 'James, old friend, how are you? It is great to see you.'

'It's good to see you too. But we must have a conversation in the house. We cannot delay this one.' James whispered.

'Of course, come in.' With that, James was ushered into the house.

'Linny, you have to be careful. Whatever possessed you to be so reckless? The gun is for protection, not for you to fool around with. If they locate the gun, your prints will be on them. Please tell me you are at least smart enough to put gloves on.' James told him, pacing around the room.

'Of course I did. Even I am not that stupid, James. As for why I did it, that Bonasera took my father away from me. He cared for her and the result was that he was taken away, just like that.' Linny answered, smiling like a maniac. 'Killing Bonasera would be too generous. I need her to feel the pain, the tearing in your heart. Hurting that kid is the only way.'

'What about those two other girls. Why did you kill them?' James asked.

'They just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.' Linny answered smugly.

'Linny, you need to keep a low profile for now. The police are on us, Linny. They found out that the gun belonged to me. You must be careful from now on.' James said urgently.

'I would be careful, James. But still, I am going to make that Stella Bonasera suffer.' Linny spat out.

'Mac, I found a partial print on the bullet casing that we recovered from the crime scene. I ran it through AFIS, but nothing came out.' For the third time this week, Lindsay burst into Mac's office, but fortunately, he was not holding a cup of coffee, so no harm done.

'Run it through all the databases in the country to see if we can find a matching print. Anything else came up from the evidence?' Mac asked.

'Nope.' Lindsay answered, shaking her head.

'Morgue, here we come.' Mac told her.

'So, I'm guessing you came here to visit the two young ladies.' Sid asked Mac.

'Yes. Discovered anything?' Mac asked hopefully.

'Well, not exactly. COD of the two girls are obviously gunshot, one to the head, and another to the chest. But judging from the angle of the wound and the claims of witnesses, I would say that neither of them were the intended victim.' Sid told him.

'So, you are saying…' Mac started.

'The intended victim is Hazel. But there is something very interesting about these two bullet wounds.' Sid answered

'What is that?' Mac asked.

'See these tiny white specks here?' Sid asked as he handed a magnifying glass to Mac. 'I had Adam ran it through for me and it came back as paper, with printing ink. The killer wanted to hurt her badly, but not fatally yet, so he used a book to block the path slightly, causing the bullet to spin. That's why the wound looks bigger.' Sid told him.

* * *

><p><em>Who do you think is Linny's dad? Why did he want to cause Stella so much pain? If you are willing to be patient and continue reading it, you will soon find out the answer. Reviews would be much appreciated but no flamers please. Criticisms will be very, very much welcomed. <em>

_Zoe tabbycat_


	4. Chapter 4

Hanging by the thread Ch.4

_This chapter is dedicated to stellaSMacked for your lovely review and AddictedtoReadingJC for your idea on this chapter. Love you both._

* * *

><p>Hazel's POV<p>

I woke up in a place that was completely white. I had absolutely no idea where the hell I was. I started panicking, screaming and thrashing around. Suddenly, I felt two hands on my shoulder blades and soothing voices talking to me beside me, telling me that everything was going to be alright. I calmed down gradually and when I turned around, I saw Jazmine and Bianca. Their presence calmed me down completely and I felt relaxed, knowing I was not alone in this unfamiliar place.

'Bianca, Jazmine, where are we? What is this place?' I asked in bewilderment. They seemed comfortable and at ease and I definitely did not. Both of them were older than I am and they had always cared and looked out for me. 15-year-old Jazmine knelt down beside me, her soft brown curls floating out gently out on the breeze.

'Hazel, both Bianca and I can't be with you again when leave us to go back to the world of the living. The gunshot injured us both fatally and we didn't make it through the surgery.' Jazmine told me gently. 'You are not strong enough to return there yet. We will stay together until you are strong enough, then Bianca and I have to go.'

'But won't you both go back with me? Surely you won't just leave me alone!' I pleaded.

14-year-old Bianca spoke to me, her crystal blue eyes reflecting the regret inside her. 'I'm sorry Hazel. We can't go back with you. We can only stay on the other side, where we now belong to.'

'But you can't just leave me like that! Why didn't the doctor cure you? It's entirely their fault.' I cried, my green eyes, so much like my mother, now filled with tears.

Jazmine held up her hands to silent me. 'Calm down, Hazel. Be rational. The doctors did all they can, they really did try. This is not their fault.'

'You two were with me when mom is out on a case and cannot be with me. You two are always with me. You two are like the sisters that I never had. How can you just leave me alone? How? Can't I go with you?'

Bianca and Jazmine exchanged a glance, both knowing what they must tell and offer to me, yet hoping with all their hearts that I wouldn't accept it. 'Hazel, do you know where exactly we are right now?' Jazmine asked.

'No. Why do you ask?' I asked, curious in spite of myself.

'This is where we generally call the between land. This is the line of being alive and dead. If you wake up here, it means you have to make a choice, a hard one for some people but easy for some. Now, you have to decide whether you want to go back the world of living or leave it forever.' Bianca answered.

I stared at her, unable to believe it. 'So, my fate is actually within my hands? I can decide whether or not to go back?'

Jazmine nodded. 'Yes. It is your own decision. No one can force you to do what you do not want to, alive or dead.'

'Why didn't you tell me earlier?' I asked.

'Hazel, although Bianca and I would both miss you horribly, you should go back. You have a whole life in front of you. Think about your mom, think about Aunt Stella. How would she react if you die?' Jazmine asked.

'What should I do?' I thought to myself, my brain spinning at the speed of 150 miles per hour. 'I don't want to leave them. How could I do it? They have been caring and looking out for me since I was 5. Now I'm 12, which meant they have been doing so for 7 years. But how could I just leave mom? She told me many times she had never had a family when she was younger. Now she had me as a family, she finally feels the joy of a family. How can I just take it away from her?'

'Hazel, you can still make more friends. You are only 12, there is still a long way ahead of you. Don't give that all up just because you feel you cannot let go of us.' Bianca told me softly, reading my expressions correctly to guess what I was feeling.

Her words sent a jolt through my mind. I knew she was right. I knew that was the decision I should make. But do I want to make it? Many people cared for me, they may no longer me with me physically, but they would always be with me mentally. It was then I made up my mind.

'I'll go back.' I told them. 'But please don't go yet.'

'We won't. Go rest now. When you wake up, you will still be here and we will also still be here.' Bianca assured me.

I close my eyes and lay down, they began stroking my hair and I fell asleep quickly.

* * *

><p><em>Here we go, another chapter. My friend suggested that i give a bit of insight to the three girls, so this is what i did. Hope you all like it and if you find some grammatical mistakes, feel free to leave a review or PM me and i will go and edit it.<em>

_Don't forget to review. Criticisms are very much welcomed but no flamers please. If you have any ideas, PM me or review and i will try to put it in the story._

_Zoe tabbycat_


	5. Chapter 5

Hanging by the thread Ch.5

'Adam, I got this voicemail this morning, but it is really muffled. Can you isolate the background voice for me?' Stella asked. Adam nodded and was about to say something but Stella had already breezed out of the door. He frowned and went to find Lindsay.

'Lindsay, is it only me or is it that Stella's not taking care of herself?' Adam asked. Stella had been a mother figure to him ever since he arrived at the lab. He cared deeply for her well-being.

'This has been really hard on her. But you are right. She does look awful. I'll go and drag her out for a short break.' Lindsay sighed.

'You sure you can do that? You and I both know Stella can be pretty stubborn when she wants to.' Adam teased.

'Well, she has got another stubborn woman to negotiate with, me. Let us see which stubborn woman wins. ' Lindsay joked, making her way over to Stella's office. With that worry off Adam's mind temporarily, Adam concentrated with the voicemail Stella gave him earlier.

'Stella, come on. Let's go to that diner round the corner for some breakfast.' Lindsay begged Stella. She didn't want to force Stella, but she knew Stella would collapse if she didn't.

'Lindsay, I'm fine, really. I need to get whoever nearly killed my daughter. I am already not allowed to process any crime scene or evidence because of personal connections. Thinks Linds, if it was Lucy, wouldn't you do the same?' Stella asked.

Lindsay sighed. This was going to be harder than she thought. Anyone could tell Stella was far from fine. She had obviously lost weight, for her cardigan was now draping loosely around her. She also had large black circles around her eyes, giving her a rather unhealthy look.

'Stella, I know if that should happen to Lucy, I would be doing the same thing as you are doing right now, but won't you be doing the same thing as I am doing right now? Stella, even Hazel wouldn't want you to act like this. Making yourself ill will only make everything worse. Besides, you know the lab is doing all they can to find the answers to this case. Leave this place for a couple of hours with me. Take a break from everything. You need a break.' Lindsay implored. 'Even Mac says you needed a break. He had been interrogating me a half hour ago on why haven't I dragged you out for a break yet. Come on.' Lindsay told her, pulling Stella to her feet.

Stella finally agreed. When they entered the diner, the heavenly aroma made Stella realize just how hungry she was. They sat down at an empty booth and placed their orders. Soon afterwards, their coffees arrived. Taking a sip, Stella felt herself relax slightly as she tried to enjoy breakfast. She was still upset when they exited the diner, but was definitely feeling better than when she just got in.

When they got back to the lab, they went off in separate directions, Lindsay probably off to find Danny while Stella located Adam in his office.

'Hey Stella. I managed to analyze the voicemail and isolated the background noise. The call was made from a public phone booth in Manhattan. The police are over there now, scouting for evidence. As for the voicemail, here it is.' Adam told her, bring up the clearer version of the voicemail.

'_Hello Stella. I doubt you still remember me. But I most certainly remember you. You daughter was just a warning, though I must admit, she is rather pretty, isn't she, young Hazel Bonasera. However, she is only the first warning. Your second warning is on its way. Brace yourself.' _Maniacal laughter filled the room before it became silent.

'Mac, someone just found a body dumped in Central Park. Are you coming?' Flack knew the answer already, but asked anyway.

'On my way' Mac answered.

Going towards the elevator, Stella joined him. Mac marveled at how much better a person could look with just a couple hours of break. He made a mental note to say thanks to Lindsay later for dragging Stella out for a break.

Flack came to meet them as they both got out of the car and started pulling their gloves on. 'Who found the body?' Mac asked, walking into the crime scene. 'Two males jogging , said they were going out for a jog for fun.' Flack told them.

They made their way into the crime scene. The body was face down on the ground but when the medics turned her over, a loud gasped escaped from Stella.

'Stella? What is it?' Mac asked, worried that his friend had gotten so pale.

'That's Kayla. She was my best friend. She was my foster sister.' Stella said slowly.

* * *

><p><em>Hi everyone. So i am back with a new chapter. I hope you all enjoy it. I wrote this in a spur of moment between exams so it may not be very good but i still hope it was satisfactory.<em>

_Please review. I am having my exams and is down in dumps. Your reviews would brighten my day up._

_Criticisms are much appreciated but no flamers please._

_Zoe tabbycat_


	6. Chapter 6

Hanging by the thread Ch.6

'Who is Kayla?' Mac asked Stella. He really didn't want to push her, but knowing if they want to get to the bottom of this, this procedure was unavoidable.

Stella was still in shock. First her daughter was attacked, now her best friend was murdered. This person was really dangerous; he was willing to hurt innocent people just to take revenge on her. But who exactly is this person? Stella shook her head in frustration.

Mac sighed. They were both at Stella's apartment. Mac had hoped that she would be calmer this way, but it didn't seem to be working too well. He sat down next to Stella and started rubbing her back. Even at moments like this, he couldn't help but admire how insanely beautiful she was.

Stella relaxed slightly when she felt his hands on her back, rubbing it soothingly. She could feel her reassurance for her. There was no need for words between the two of them. She had always been able to read him like an open book and vice versa.

'I met Kayla when I was twelve years old. She was sixteen at that time, but we got along really well. Usually, your foster siblings would try to nick your stuff whenever you had your back turned, especially if you are a 'newbie' at that place.' Stella told him, quoting the word 'newbie'. 'But Kayla was different. She was never like that. She was patient and caring. She cares about every single person there. I was the youngest at that place; all the others were around fourteen to sixteen. Kayla had always paid me special attention, making sure that I was taking proper care of myself and was always willing to listen and had always dished out sound advice. Whenever I had any problem, I would always go to Kayla. I was only there for around eight months before I was transferred back to St Basil's Orphanage for Girls. I thought I would never see Kayla again.' Stella told him. Mac could see that Kayla was no ordinary person to Stella. Stella had obviously cared about Kayla a whole lot.

'Did you see her again?' Mac asked. Stella nodded.

'It turned out that Kayla had managed to wheedle out the orphanage's name and address out of Aunt Marian, my foster mother.' She added, to Mac's questioning look. 'She often came down to see me and check on me, till I was eighteen and moved out of the orphanage. We still kept in contact. She was the person that I went to first when I discovered I was pregnant, Mac. She was like the sister, the mother I never had.' Stella told him, her voice starting to crack.

'When was the last time you had any contact with her?' Mac asked.

Stella shook her head sadly. 'It was only yesterday.' She whispered. 'She heard what had happened to Hazel and called me to comfort me. We agreed to meet up this weekend. And now I won't even get to talk to her again.' Stella couldn't help it anymore. She broke down and started crying. All the sadness that was bottled up in the past few days was let loose.

Mac hugged her tight, hoping that she would calm down, but she simply couldn't. She clung on to Mac tightly. She felt safe in his embrace. The truth was that she had always loved Mac, his gentleman manners, his warm blue eyes; she had always loved everything about him. After a while, she managed to calm herself slightly, but tears were still running down her cheeks. Mac took some tissues and wiped them away lovingly and tenderly.

Picking Stella up, he carried her back to her bedroom and laid her down gently on her bed. He noticed that a big teddy bear that Stella bought for Hazel on her birthday was sitting right next to Stella's pillow. No doubt that she wanted to feel her daughter's presence close to her. He went to get her some hot milk and cookies as she changed into her pajamas. When he returned, Stella was sitting on her bed, staring off into space. He handed her the milk and cookies and stroke her hair gently as she ate them. When she finally lay down on her bed, Mac got ready to head back to the crime lab until he heard Stella's voice calling him.

'Mac, don't go please? Can you stay with me please?' Stella asked, her green eyes searching his face, betraying the fear inside her, that pain that was threatening to overflow.

Mac couldn't say no to her. Thankfully, he had a set of clothing in his briefcase since he was planning to camp out in his office. He calmed Stella down, assuring her that he won't leave her alone. He went into the bathroom and changed into a T-shirt and a pair of boxers. When he came out, He saw that Stella was in a restless sleep. She was tossing and turning all over the place. He went out to the living room quietly and put through a call to Flack.

'Hey man, what's up?' Flack asked as he answered the call.

'Flack, Stella and I won't be coming in today. Mark us down both of a day off and tell Danny he is in charge for the day.' Mac told him.

'Mac Taylor, a day off?' Flack teased. 'Wonder what will Lindsay say about that?'

'Stop it, Flack.' Mac told him.

'Okay. Good luck with Stella.' Flack answered before he hung up.

Suddenly, whimpers were heard from Stella's room. Mac went in to find Stella thrashing about, obviously trapped in a night mare. He went over to her and woke her gently.

'Stella, wake up. Everything was alright. It's just a nightmare.' Mac soothed her.

For the second time that day, Stella clung to Mac while Mac embraced her.

'I dreamt that Hazel was dying, Mac. She was asking me why I couldn't save her. I'm her mother, shouldn't I save her?' Stella sobbed.

'Stella, everything will be fine. Hazel is not dying. She is stable. We will bring the bastard who did this to Hazel and Kayla to justice, have no doubt about that, understand?' He asked her.

'I know, Mac. But…' Stella started before Mac cut her off.

'No buts, Stella. Hazel will get better and the bastard will be brought to justice.' Mac told her sternly.

Somehow, to Stella, hearing Mac say that caused her to believe in what he said. She had absolute trust in him.

'Stay in here please?' She begged. Mac nodded and went to grab a chair, but she stopped him and pointed to her be. 'Here please?' She pleaded.

Mac looked uncertain but Stella kept on pleading him. If he was honest to himself, he could never say no to Stella and he finally agreed. He got into her bed and placed his arms around her protectively as she snuggled up to him. They both fell asleep and for the first time since Hazel was injured, Stella didn't wake up every fifteen minutes due to a nightmare.

* * *

><p><em> I never actually thought that i would update today, but someone made me so mad during my revision that i just had to stop studying for a bit and do some writing to calm myself down. After Catulicious reviewed and asked if Stella and Mac are going to be together, i just can't resist to turn this into a Smacked story as well. Hope you like it.<em>

_Please please please review. My exams are not over and your reviews will brighten my day up._

_Criticisms are much welcomed but no flamers please._

_Zoe tabbycat_


	7. Chapter 7

Hanging by the thread Ch.7

_A/N: I'm back! My exams are now over and my report came through too. I'm pleased to say I got a fine mark and will not be banned from the computer. I won't be able to update as often as I like because my parents are going to drag me around the world to 'relax', but hopefully I can snatch my dad's computer in the hotel room to update. Hope you will all like this chapter._

Stella rubbed her temples tiredly. It had been a tough week. The images of Kayla and Hazel still haunted her every single night, but at least Mac was there to make everything better by listening to her and offering reassurance and assistance whenever it was necessary. Hazel was still in a coma, but the doctor reported that her brain activity had increased and she would probably wake up from it soon.

'Hey beautiful.' Mac's voice jolted her from her thoughts. He was leaning against her doorway with an amused look on his face.

'What's so amusing?' Stella asked.

'I called you five times and you didn't respond until I called you beautiful, you never responded. You didn't even respond when I call you Stella Bella,' Mac explained.

'Sorry Mac. It's just…' Stella trailed off, biting her lip. Instantly, Mac was crossing the room to comfort her. She leaned into him and he rubbed her back soothingly.

'I know Stella, I know. Come on, it's Friday. And your shift has just ended let's go to my place tonight and take a break, OK?' He asked as he grabbed her jacket. Stella could tell that no amount of whining could possibly win her an extra minute in the office. She gave a small sigh.

'You win, but can we go to my place? There will be more edible food in my fridge than yours and we can have a good meal there.' Stella teased.

'OK, come on then, let's go.' Mac told her. Without waiting for an answer, he dragged her out and they headed to the elevators.

'What's that on the mat?' Mac asked Stella as they were walking to the door that leads to Stella's apartment. Something white lay on the doormat, something that Stella was positive had not been there that morning.

'I have no idea. It wasn't there this morning.' Stella frowned and picked it up. Mac opened the door and let them in.

'It's blank.' Stella told him. 'That's weird.' Worry and uncertainty etched themselves upon her face as she unfolded the letter. She scanned it quickly and her green eyes narrowed and hardened.

'Stella? Are you alright?' Mac asked, though he knew perfectly well that was a stupid question.

Stella took a deep breath and handed the letter to Mac.

_Hello, Stella. _

_How are you? I hope you like the present I left for you. She's good, I'll admit and that's saying something. In the meantime, I'll advise you to watch your back. Your third present may come soon, or it may not. It'll depend on whether I feel like it. Good luck_

Mac took a deep breath. That son of a bitch. How dare he hurt Stella like that? He looked at the symbol at the end of the letter. He thought it looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.

'Stella, what does the symbol at the end mean?' Mac asked her. Stella brushed away the tears on her cheek and answered him. 'Those are Greek alphabets, equivalent to the L and P of English.' She answered. Mac nodded and dragged her to her bedroom.

'Ms Bonasera, right now, you are going to have a nice, hot shower while I go and prepare a meal for you. No arguments.' He told her sternly, wagging a finger. Stella nodded, grinning. She went into the bathroom and Mac went into the kitchen and started raiding her refrigerator. When she came out of the hot shower, she found a pleasant dinner sitting on the table, waiting for her.

'Wow, is there anything that the mighty Mac Taylor cannot do?' Stella teased as she surveyed dinner. Penne in tuna fish sauce with raw cucumber sticks sat on the table, the sight and smell were already enough to cause her to start drooling.

Mac came out of the kitchen, holding a pot of tomato soup that looked as good as it smelled. 'Well, I can't operate a DVD player. Does that make you feel any better?' He asked

'Hey! I don't have time to watch DVDs' Mac told her, as they both settle down to what seemed to be a very promising dinner.

When Stella arrived at the lab the next morning, she headed to the trace lab immediately with the letter in her hand.

'Good morning Stella. How are you?' Lindsay asked as she walked in. 'What's that?'

"Hey Lindsay. This letter was placed in front of my doorstep last night. It had something to do with, you know…' Stella told her.

'I know, Stella. It's alright. Everything will take a turn for the better, trust me.' Lindsay told her, reassuring her best friend.

'Thanks Lindsay.' Stella looked at her gratefully.

'Come on then. You know you can't process any kind of evidence. Let me do it.' With that, she whisked the letter out of Stella's hands and got ready any equipment necessary. Stella knew she could trust Lindsay and went back to her office, groaning at the mere thought of the pile of paperwork that was on her desk.

Lindsay was careful with the letter. She knew that Stella wanted the criminal behind bars as soon as possible, and she wanted to help her achieve that. She found several usable fingerprints and ran them through AFIS. Most of the prints belonged to Stella and Mac, but there was another print. She matched it to the print that was found on the bullet casing. She sighed. They were so close yet so far. Then something else in the envelope caught her attention in the envelope. There was a strand of hair. She felt a spark of hope in her as she extracted DNA from the hair and ran it through CODIS.

The computer gave a blip, informing Lindsay that a match had been found. She looked at it and smiled. She would have to do a little more digging to find the actual murderer, but she knew they were a hell of a lot closer than before.

Mac sat in his office, looking through the evidence again. He knew that the incriminating evidence was right before them; they just hadn't noticed the importance of it yet. He jumped when Lindsay knocked and entered his office.

Mac smiled, noting the look of excitement on Lindsay's face. 'What is it?'

'We have got our murderer.' Lindsay told him, stifling a laugh. His expression was priceless, as if he had just been told that the building was made of cheese fondue. 'Meet Linny Papakota, the only son of Charles Papakota.' She told him as she handed him a photo.

'You mean Professor Papakota? As in the professor that Stella admired so much?' He asked.

'Yes.' Lindsay nodded. 'I found a strand of hair in the envelope. I ran it through CODIS, but there was no absolute match, only a partial match to Charles Papakota. I did a little digging and discovered that Charles Papakota had a son called Linny Papakota. I think they stand for Linny Papakota. He probably blames Stella for the death of his father, so we've got our motive as revenge. All we need now is a sample of his fingerprints.'

'We'll bring him in now.' Mac answered her. 'What is his address?'

'Apartment 204, Rosedale Towers, Manhattan.' Lindsay answered.

'I'm off with Flack and Danny to get the suspect. When we arrive at the precinct, I want and Stella to be behind the glass of the interrogation room. I'll call you to let you know when you should bring Stella down there with you.' Mac told her as he shrugged on his jacket and went off to search for Danny and Flack

_Finally! Another update. I do apologize for the long wait but I had a major writer's block and couldn't come up with another idea. Big thanks to Catulicious and Brii Taylor for reviewing my chapter 6. This chapter is dedicated to you two._

_As usual, please review. Criticisms are very welcomed but no flamers please._

_Zoe tabbycat_

_P.S.: I have no idea what Professor Papakota's first name is, so I just made one up. If you do know, please place it in your review and I will go and edit it. Thanks! _


	8. Chapter 8

Hanging by the thread Ch.8

_A/N: I am so sorry for not updating this story for so long. I have already uploaded it onto Doc manager, but somehow, i simply forgot to post it. I was digging around my profile today and found it finally, so here is Ch. 8 of Hanging by the thread. A great big thank you for all of you that is reading this chapter and an even greater thank you for those who had reviewed._

'Linny Papakota, NYPD, open up.' Mac yelled through the door. He signaled for the officers to be ready. Mac gave the door a hard kick and it opened immediately. They prowled around the apartment but there was no sign of him. However, Mac's instinct told him that Linny was still in the apartment. He glanced around, trying to find a spot where Linny could be hiding. Then he saw it. The clothes on a rack were swinging gently, as if a breeze was blowing through the apartment, except that there was no breeze.

'Danny, take three with you and surround the perimeter. Don, you're coming with me.' They both nodded, and Danny hurried out of the apartment, giving instructions into his walkie-talkie. Mac and Don parted the clothes and discovered a small door at the back. They climbed in, Don after Mac, with their guns in their hands, ready to fire at any minute.

After a short while, they discovered that the door was actually concealing a tunnel. When they reached the end of the tunnel, They climbed out and found themselves in an open area right next to the building. He immediately gave the exact location of their whereabouts to Danny while Mac scanned the area for any sign of Linny.

All of a sudden, they heard quick pounding footsteps coming in their direction from behind them. Danny was chasing after Linny into where Don and Mac were standing right in front of the entrance of the tunnel.

Mac caught him and handcuffed Linny immediately, holding his collar roughly and dragging him to the police cars parked nearby.

'It's over, Linny. It's all over. You will never touch Stella or Hazel again.' Mac told him viciously as he forced Linny Papakota into the police car.

Mac and Don walked into the interrogation room with Stella watching outside the one-way window. She had wanted to be the one who questioned him, but Mac managed to persuade her to leave it to him and Don. She stood outside, her green eyes narrowed and blazing at the very sight of the person whom had tried to murder her daughter and got away with murdering three other innocent people.

Mac was so mad at the person sitting right in front of him. Not just mad, but disgusted at the same time. However, he had learned that when interrogating a suspect, a person should never reveal their emotions. He kept a tight control over his emotions while Don just looked plain disgusted at the man.

'Why did you do it?' Mac asked, anger evident in his voice as he looked at the man who was smirking at him after all he had done.

'What did I do?' Linny asked calmly, smiling at both Mac and Don as if they were sharing a private joke. Don felt sick just looking at that person, who had no remorse for all the innocent lives that he had taken.

'Why did you target Stella Bonasera?' Mac asked again.

'And what makes you think I was the one who did it?' Linny asked, evidently enjoying himself as he toyed with the supervisor of the crime lab in New York.

Mac had had enough of the man. He slammed the file down onto the steel desk and his overall radiated anger, whether it was his voice, his expression or his clear blue eyes, but even Linny Papakota felt a chill when those eyes burned through his own and he felt as if Mac could see through his mind just like Professor Dumbledore.

Something stirred inside Linny. The expression in those eyes, were identical to the expression Stella had given to him. His hatred for Stella overflowed. He lost his temper and stood up.

'Why I did that to the bitch, you mean? My father cared for her when she was younger, helped her to get through her past and she repaid him by putting him behind bars? All that he had done for her, she didn't even tried to help him get out of there. My father risked everything to help her and that was his thanks?' Linny shouted. 'What had she ever done for him?'

Stella couldn't help it anymore. She went into the interrogation room and started shouting at him as well.

'You think I didn't do anything for you two then? Did I report you Linny, when you did that to me? Did I even tell your dad? Don't think I didn't know why you didn't kill Hazel. As soon as Lindsay told me it was all your doing, I knew the truth. You didn't just want me to suffer, did you? You couldn't bear to kill her off, could you? You knew she was also your daughter.'

Shock was seen clearly in both Mac and Don's eyes. Stella's eyes glittered, tears in her eyes. When she spoke again, her voice was hard.

'You raped me 13 years ago and got me pregnant. You never knew until you saw Hazel. You remembered what you did to me and realized that Hazel is your daughter. It's true. Hazel is your daughter, but I can tell you one thing, she inherited absolutely nothing from you, for which I thank god everyday.'

She stared at him, disgust and shame emanating from her. No one else had known, and now, they all did. She thought of her daughter, and her voice softened.

'There were many times when I considered an abortion, but I never did it. Hazel was still a big part of me. How could I deny her the chance of living just because who her father was? I never regretted my choice of keeping her. Why do you think I never filed a case report against you? Why do you think your father never knew? I never told anyone until now. I was willing to hide that, to not tell anyone you raped me, but when you stole those artifacts, I had to report it. It was my duty, both as a Greek citizen and as an American cop. And let me just tell you one thing.' Her voice hardened again as she leaned towards him. 'Hazel was the only one who knew who her father was. And you know what? She doesn't think you are her father at all. She once told me. You two may share certain genetic traits, but in her opinion, you are not her father at all.' And with that, Stella stalked out of the room with her head held high.

However, as soon as she reached her office, her whole body slumped. She felt drained. Now she was sure that she would never get to be Mac's girlfriend. God, she loved him, but how could he possibly love someone who had been raped? She gave a moan and buried her hands in her head, the sudden sobs shaking her body.

After Stella disappeared, Linny appeared to be defeated. He soon confessed to the crimes that he had committed.

'Before you go, there is just one more thing.' Mac told Linny, his voice like steel.

'You may think that it was Stella who killed your father. But it is not. It was me. You have given her a lot of grief for absolutely nothing, you son of a bitch.' Mac told him and raced off to find Stella before her stubborn self took over and she went and did something unthinkable.

He found her in her office, crying into her hands. He went in and gave her a hug. He hated to see her broken like this, and yet, he was unable to do a single thing for her. He hated this feeling of helplessness and would gladly endure the pain for Stella if only she would feel better. To his great surprise, Stella pushed him away.

'Mac, how could you love me anymore? I am unclean. I have been raped. Just tell me and I will deal with it.' Stella sobbed and ran out of her office. Mac was astonished that she could even come up with such an idea.

He went everywhere, looking for her, but she seemed to have vanished from the lab. Then he remembered about her favorite place for a quiet break, the roof. He went up there and found Stella sobbing her heart out next to the edge. He went over and embraced her immediately.

'Stella, what happened was not your fault. You were the victim. Why would I love you any less? I will always love you, Stella. You will never be alone again, I promise.' Mac told her and Stella felt a rush of relief.

'Hazel, sweetie, the person who did this to you is now behind bars. It's safe again. Wake up darling. Don't leave me hanging like this.' Stella pleaded to her daughter. As soon as she was positive that Linny was going to be locked up for good, she had raced off to the hospital to be with Hazel.

Stella stroked Hazel's hands gently. Suddenly, she noticed a slight movement to them, as if the finger was moving from side to side. She looked up and saw Hazel's bright green eyes staring at her again.

Stella gave a whoop of joy that sent Mac scurrying into the room in alarm, wondering what on earth had happened. He saw Hazel awake and a great weight fell from his shoulder. He had always cared for Hazel like a daughter and to see her awake was the best news he had for a long time.

The doctor came in to check on Hazel, and told them that she was going to be just fine. Hazel took a look at both of her parents and knew that they had finally gotten together. She gave a contented sigh. How the two best detectives in New York could possibly fail to notice their attraction to each other was beyond her. Normally, they would not miss a single detail in the crime scene but when it came to their love life, they were clueless. When Stella and Mac came and the three of them got into a group embrace, they knew that they had finally found a family and that was how they were going to stay – together.

Hazel made astonishing progress in the next few days and the doctor was confident that she could be out in a couple of days, when she was finally discharged from the hospital she simply couldn't feel any happier.

_Yahoo! Linny is now officially behind bars and will not be causing trouble for them again. As usual, I hope you like this chapter. I will admit, I almost killed Hazel, but I just couldn't do that to Stella. R and R please._

_Criticisms will be much appreciated but no flamers please._

_Special thanks to Brii Taylor, who had agreed to beta this story for me._

_Zoe tabbycat_


	9. Chapter 9

Hanging by the Thread Ch. 9

Epilogue:

It had been three years since the shooting and Hazel had mostly recovered. Looking at the scene in the living room, Stella could not suppress a smile. Hazel was chasing after her two-year-old baby brother, Nicholas McKenna Taylor. Till this day, Stella still had some difficulty believing how her life had changed in the past years. Looking at the ring on her ring finger, she gave a large smile.

After Hazel had been discharged from the hospital, Mac and Stella had started going out. Three months later, Stella had gotten pregnant with little Nicky Taylor. Mac had proposed to her soon afterwards and Stella had accepted – of course. When Nicky was born, Stella had worried about how was Hazel going to adapt to her step-brother. It turned out that the worry was completely unnecessary. Hazel adored her younger brother and as soon as Nicky could walk, he began to toddle after her everywhere.

A hand snaked up behind her and she could feel Mac's breath on her neck. She glanced at the clock and found that it was close to dinnertime. Ever since they started dating, Mac would always leave the office as soon as he could. Stella still worked there, but she always left early to take care of Hazel and Nicky. She turned around and pecked Mac's lips.

'Hmm… I'm not so hungry anymore,' Mac murmured, earning a smack from Stella.

'Mac! You bad boy. Not here, not now,' Stella scolded lightly. Mac gave her a mock pout, but went out to the living room and was about to announce his arrival to the kids before his legs were immediately crushed by a little boy, while being hugged tightly by an older girl around the waist. Mac had one arm around Hazel, asking her about her day, while his other arm scooped up Nicky, allowing him to babble on about his day to him.

Stella looked at him, love evident in her eyes. Who knew Mac could be so good with kids? Her hands found her way to her stomach. She could not wait to tell Mac the good news. Taking the potatoes out of the oven, she took it to the table and grabbed Nicky as he ran past her, placing him on his chair. Soon afterwards, both Hazel and Mac came out of their respective bedrooms, with exaggerated actions of following their noses to dinner, causing Nicky to burst out laughing.

Dinner was a lively and fun affair. This was one of the times when the whole family could just be together and not worry, what with their demanding time-table and all. They always chat about everything that happened during the day and never hold anything back. As soon as dinner was over, Hazel whisked Nicky away for a shower. She had always loved helping him and Stella was more than willing to let her to do it as soon as Nicky was old enough. Packing up the dishes, she headed for the kitchen with Mac following her.

Standing side by side, they got the dishes done in no time at all. Nicky had finished his shower and Hazel was singing him to sleep. Ever since the shooting, Hazel had always been studying harder and harder. When asked, she answered that she wanted to become a CSI, just like her parents so she could put away people just like Linny Papakota. Therefore, as soon as Nicky was in bed, she went back into her room, textbook in hand. It was not often when neither Mac or Stella were on call tonight, so the two of them switched off the lights in the living room and retired to their own room.

After a long shower together, they both got into bed. Stella seemed to be fidgeting and Mac was very concerned. After they had both gotten into bed, he placed his hands on her cheeks and looked at her in the eye.

'Stella, darling. What's wrong? You know you can tell me anything, right?' Mac asked, his blue eyes looking intently at Stella's green eyes.

'Mac, I'm pregnant,' Stella told him, excitement evident in her eyes.

Mac pulled her into a fierce hug, happiness bubbling through his veins. They had wanted another child after Nicky was born and now, their wish was granted.

They spent the rest of the night in each other's arms, completely oblivious to the world outside the flat, not caring about any crimes for a night. They knew that their world would change again, but it would always be for the better.

_A/N: I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm soooooooo sorry for not updating earlier, but I had completely forgotten that I had already written this chapter ages ago. I was arranging my folders for Fanfiction when I found this chapter hidden down there._

_I hope you like it, and many thanks to all the people who had reviewed/ alerted or favorite this fic. I love you all._

_Please review this last chapter. Criticisms are much appreciated, but no flamers please._

_Zoe tabbycat_


End file.
